Tastes of Hawaii, part 2

Our second week in Hawaii was spent on the Big Island. A big Mahalo! to my cousin Brian and his wife Amy. They live in Kona and manage a couple of coffee plantations. They showed us some of their properties and we had a fantastic dinner at a local brew pub. And they gave me a pound of their 100% Kona coffee to bring home with me. Now THAT’S a fantastic cup of coffee! And the good news is, you can buy it directly from their Web site at http://www.lehuulafarms.com/.

Since I am a little cheesecake-obsessed right now, I created one inspired by the flavors of the Big Island: Kona coffee and macadamia nuts.


Big Island Cheesecake
(Kona coffee cheesecake with macadamia nut crust)

Crust

• 5 oz. unsalted macadamia nuts
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. butter, melted

Filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature (you can use half regular and half fat-free if you wish)
• 1 cup brewed 100% Kona coffee, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 cup light cream, at room temperature

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°. Grease the sides of a 9” or 10” springform pan.
2. In a food processor, process the macadamia nuts and sugar to fine, even crumbs. Add the butter in a slow, steady stream while pulsing. Pulse until the mixture is evenly moistened and resembles wet sand, about ten 1-second pulses. Press into the springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
3. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the coffee and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. At low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time. Add the flour and beat just until incorporated. Add cream and beat just until incorporated. Transfer filling to the cooled crust.
4. Cover the bottom of the springform pan with 3 or 4 layers of aluminum foil and place in a water bath in a roasting pan (water should come about 1 inch up the side of the springform pan). Bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off and let stand for 1 hour. Cool completely. Carefully remove the springform pan. Chill for at least 4 hours.